The present invention relates generally to the propagation, direction, conditioning and other control of optical signals in optical devices and, more particularly, to the control of optical signals consisting of multiple spectral components. Modern telecommunications networks, for example, utilize a variety of optical components to affect control of multi-component optical signals. The present invention presents a scheme for addressing design and performance considerations related to handling multi-component optical signals of such networks.
For the purposes of defining and describing the present invention, it is noted that the use of the term “optical” throughout the present description and claims is not intended to define a limit to any particular wavelength or portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Rather, the term “optical” is defined herein to cover any wavelength of electromagnetic radiation capable of propagating in a suitable signal propagating structure. For example, optical signals in the infrared regions of 850, 1350, 1400 and 1550 nm are commonly used in optical telecommunications.